Inking arrangement for printing machines



6, 1940- L. N. PECKHAM 2.210.729

INKING ARRANGEMENT FUR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q Inventor Ass/2b Mvzl /s cA /gmw Aug. 6, 1,940. L..N. PE'CKHAM INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 1, 1,938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q E 2 v Q n NW 8 @N J29 E .2 o I Q A mm mm Fm mm. Q

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I nventor [as-i5: Maw/6 cfi/ a/iz At tofn'eys Patented Aug. 6, 194(l PATENT OFFICE INKING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRINTING MACHINES Leslie Neville Peckham, Uxbridge, Engiand, as-

signor to Bell Punch Company Limited, London, England, a British company Application Novemberl, 1938, Serial No. 238,141 In Great Britain November 4, 1937 5 Claims.

This invention relates to inking devices for printing machines and more particularly to inking devices for machines for printing and issuing tickets, vouchers and the like.

The invention comprises the combination of an ink reservoir, a pad of ink-absorbent material whichcan be arranged in contact with a part serving to communicate ink to the printing surfaces in the printing machine, and means for conveying ink from the reservoir to the said pad.

, Preferably the reservoir, pad and ink conveying means are constructed in the form of a unit adapted to be removably positioned in the print- 5 ing machine.

One manner of carrying the invention into effect is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the complete inker unit.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional side elevation to a smaller scale than that of Fig. 1 showing the unit inposition in the printing machine, only those parts of the said machine which are necessary for the understanding of shown.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the plunger and the actuating means therefor.

Referring to the drawings the inker is constructed in the form of a self-contained unit which can be removably located in the printing machine. As shown the unit comprises a body part I provided with a finger piece H for enabling the unit to be withdrawn from or inserted 3 into the printing machine, the body part being supported on a pair of opposed guide rails l2 and being held in its correct position by the engagement of a spring-urged plunger l3 in a hole (not shown) in a side plate of the machine. The plunger I3 is arranged to be moved against the action of its spring 2| by means of a triggershaped lever l4 pivoted at 22 on the finger piece II and when it is desired to remove the inker unit from the machine the operator inserts a finger in the aperture in the finger piece and presses the trigger M to withdraw the plunger l3 from the hole in the sideplate whereupon the inker can be withdrawn from the machine along the guide rails l2.

As shown in Fig. 2 the body part I0 is formed with a hollow portion constituting a reservoir l5 for ink. Also the body part carries an inkabsorbent pad IS the outer end of which projects beyond the body part and is subjected to the infiuence of a blade spring I! serving to press the the invention bein end of the pad in a downward direction while the inner end of the pad is arranged to lie across the upper end of a conduit [8 communicating at its lower end with a cylindrical shaped chamber H! which is in communication with the reservoir .5 via a conduit 20. Mounted to slide in the cylindrical chamber i9 is a plunger 23, the latter being formed with a circumferential groove 24 in'which engages a projection 25 (Fig. 3) at the lower end of a rod 26 rotatable about its longi tudinal axis in the body part I0. The rod 26 is provided at its upper end with a block 21 having a pin 28 which, when the inker unit is located in the printing machine, engages a snail cam 29 in the said machine, the rod 25 being urged in #15 a direction to hold the pin 28 in engagement with the cam 29 and the plunger 23 at the rear end of the chamber l9 as shown in Fig; 2, by a coil spring 3!! bearing on the block 21 and arranged around the upper end of the rod 26. The cam 20 2%, having a fall 3|, is secured on a rotatable spindle 32 mounted in the printing machine, the spindle 32 also carrying a toothed Wheel 33 engageable by a spring urged'pawl 34 mounted on a longitudinally movable bar 35 carrying at its 25 upper end a push button 36. The push button 36 is arrangedthrough the intermediary of the bar 35 to initiate the operation of the printing machine but as the mechanism for effecting this forms no part of the present invention it will not be further described. Each actuation of the button 36 causes the rotation of the toothed wheel 33 through one tooth and the cam 29 is accordingly rotated intermittently in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 during the use of the machine to issue tickets.

Also when the inker unit is located in its correct position in the printing machine the projecting end of the pad I6 is arranged to bear against a metal roller 31 rotatably mounted in the print- 40 ing machine, the said roller being positively driven from any convenient moving part in the printing machine and the pad being held against the roller by the blade spring 11. The metal roller 3'! is also engaged by a rubber roller 38 5 serving to convey ink from the metal roller to the printing surfaces on the printing drum 39, the rubber roller 38 being carried in a pivotal frame 40 acted upon by a spring 4| serving to hold the rubber roller in contact with the metal roller and the printing surfaces.

The chamber [9 in which the plunger 23 operates is arranged at one side of the longitudinal centre line of the body part I0 near the rear end of the latter and the reservoir l5 ex-- tends alongside the said chamber on the other side of the centre line, this limb of the reservoir being provided with a screw plug 42 for enabling the reservoir to be replenished and the plug being provided with the usual vent hole.

The operation of the arrangement above described is as follows:

Assume at the time of commencing to use the machine that the parts of the mechanism occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2 with the pin 28 in the position indicated in full lines at the base of the fall 3| and the plunger 23 at the rear end of the chamber l9. Under these conditions ink will be present in the other end of the chamber H) to the level shown. Actuation of the button 36 to effect the issue of tickets will now cause the cam 29 to be rotated to rotate the rod 26 in a direction to move the plunger 23 towards the front end of the chamber [9, continued movement of the plunger after it has closed the conduit 29 then serving to force ink into the pad l6. Movement of the plunger in a forward direction continues until the pin 28 occupies the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 1 after which, further rotation of the cam 29 permits the pin to be moved down the fall 3! so as to be restored to the dotted line position of Fig. 1 under the action of the spring 38. During this movement the plunger 23 is returned to the rear end of the chamber is to permit ink to flow into the front end of the chamber and hence the parts of the inker mechanism are now restored to their initial positions shown in Fig. 2 ready for a further sequence of operations. Thus the pad It is charged with a quantity of ink once for each rotation of the cam 29.

Ink is picked up from the impregnated pad [6 by the positively driven metal roller 31 which conveys it to the rubber roller 38 arranged for contact with the printing surfaces and in this Way a film of ink is continuously conveyed to the printing surfaces so long as printing is being effected.

By this invention I am able to provide a simple and convenient form of inking device, intended more particularly for a ticket printing and issuing machine, which supplies ink to the printing surface in a very satisfactory manner.

The invention is not limited to the example described as subordinate details of construction may be varied to suit different requirements. For example the movement of the plunger 23 may be derived from any other convenient moving part in the printing machine.

Having now particularly described and asceftained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. In combination, an inking device comprising an absorbent ink-applying member and an ink pump arranged to supply ink to said absorbent member, means for guiding said inking device for sliding movements towards and away from an operative ink-applying position, means for latching said inking device in said position, and means for driving said pump, said means becoming operatively associated with the pump when the inking device is moved to its operative position.

2. In combination, an inking device comprising an absorbent ink-applying member and an ink pump arranged to supply ink to said absorbent member, means for guiding said inking device for sliding movements toward and away from an operative ink-applying position, means for latching said inking device in said position, and means for driving said pump, said driving means comprising a cam and a follower, the latter serving to drive the pump, said cam and follower being arranged to become operatively associated when the inking device is moved to its operative position.

3. In combination, a cyclically operating printing device, an inking device therein comprising an absorbent ink-applying member and a cyclically operating ink pump arranged to supply ink to said absorbent member, andratchet means for driving said pump.

4. In combination, a cyclically operating printing device, an inking device therein comprising an absorbent ink-applying member and a cyclically operating ink pump arranged to supply ink to said absorbent member, and ratchet means for driving said pump through a single pumping cycle during a plurality of cycles of operation of the printing device. 1

5. In combination, an inking device comprising an absorbent ink-applying member, an ink reservoir, said member being located above said reservoir out of contact with ink therein, a conduit terminating at the under side of said member, and means receiving ink from the reservoir for forcing ink under pressure into said member through said conduit, and devices for driving said forcing means, said arrangement of parts providing flow of ink to said member against gravity only under the action of said forcing means.

LESLIE NEVILLE PECKHAM. 

